UEFA Champions League Quarterfinal and Semifinal Draw

The Champions League draw for the quarterfinals and semifinals was held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon Switzerland this last Friday, just a couple of days after Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester City deprived the football world of any surprises to join Dortmund, Porto, Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool in the last eight of 2020-21 Champions League.

This was a completely random draw with no remaining restrictions regarding nations or prior encounters. The clubs learned who’s in their way to reach the final, which will be played in Istanbul Turkey this May. With three English teams in the pot, chances were high for one to be drawn against another, but that did not happen. It is worth noting that the Portuguese outfit Porto is the only club that qualified to the quarterfinals after defeating a group stage winner in the round of 16.

Quarterfinals for Semifinal #1:

Manchester City vs Dortmund: The citizens will play the first leg at home, giving a slight tactical advantage to Dortmund. Both clubs have been in excellent form, but both clubs qualified after defeating teams that were struggling in the round of 16. This should be an interesting tie with two attack-minded clubs going head to head.

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Bayern Munich vs PSG: This pairing reprises last year’s final. PSG under new management will hope to come out with an opposite result. Hansi Flick and Bayern delivered their worst performance in that match despite the win and will look to raise spirits before kick-off.

The winners of those two matches will meet in the semifinals in what promises to be an “early final”. With many critics having expected two of Man City, Bayern or PSG to reach the final, now only one of them can survive what we could call the block of death. Dortmund is the definite underdog, so it will be a surprise if they advance.

Quarterfinals for Semifinal #2:

Porto vs Chelsea: The high-flying blues are being praised in all aspects except for finishing. They will need to work on elevating their striking ability as the four goals scored against Porto in the Round of 16 were not enough for Juventus to escape the champions graveyard. Porto qualified with ease from the group stage and managed to keep the lethal Man City attack at bay in group play’s return leg.

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Real Madrid vs Liverpool: When it comes to fan favorites, this reprise of the 2018 final (remember Sergio Ramos’ jujitsu maiming of Mo Salah?) is anticipated to generate record viewership with more than a little Saxon warpaint and lust for vengeance. Covid permitting, the first leg will be played in Madrid, the return in Liverpool, and if there are any survivors, they’ll move on to face either Porto or Chelsea in semifinal #2.

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The quarterfinals begin on April 6, so we have until then to sweat domestic league injuries before pulling the trigger on transfers. We at NMA will have more info and advice in the run-up.

So how does your fantasy team look? Are your surviving players from the Round of 16 slated to face each other now, or could they all reach the final? And can you even afford to worry about them when we all have deadwood to cull? Please share in the comments!

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